Rail-joint.



J. T'. BOGARD. RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7, 1911.

1,018,234. Patented Feb. 20, 1912' ZIZUcZ/Zfdi" amesZBa a; c?

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAP" Cu" WASflINGIDN. D- C.

JAMES T. IBOGARD, OF TIMPSON, TEXAS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 7, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

Serial No. 664,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. BOGARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Timpson, in the county of Shelby and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in RailJoints, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to railjoints, and particularly to that type of rail-joint wherein the abutting ends of the track rails are connected together by means of interlocking fish-plates, thus dispensing with the nuts and bolts ordinarily employed.

It consists, essentially, in certain improvements in the construction of the fish-plates, as hereinafter described.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, of which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved rail-joint; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the end portion of one of the rails, showing in dotted lines the fish-plate carried thereby; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the fish-plates.

In the said drawing, A and B designate the two track rails which are to be coupled together, and C and D the two fish-plates for effecting such coupling. The rails are of the conventional type and each is provided adjacent its end with a substantially rectangular opening 1 that is formed through its web portion, as shown, the lower wall of the opening being located approximately at the junction between the web and the base of the rail. The fish-plates are likewise of counterpart construction and, as is customary, overlap the abutting ends of the rails, but are arranged reversely with respect to each other. Each comprises a flat body portion 2, which is disposed against the adjacent face of the abutting rail webs, a base flange 3, which fits flush upon the bases of the rails, and a pair of end tongues 1 and 5. The tongue 4: on each fish-plate is arranged longitudinally thereof and constitutes, in effect, a continuation of the body 2; its top face 6 is inclined downwardly toward its free end, while its bottom face is notched, as indicated by the numeral 7 thus producing a narrow necklike portion 8, which connects the outer or head portion 9 of the tongue to said body 2; the bottom face of the said head portion is located slightly above the junction between the body and flange portions of the fishplate, and is curved upwardly at its outer end. The tongue 5 is'located at the opposite end of the body 2 from the tongue 4 and projects laterally from the inner face of said body; it has a length sufficient to extend through and beyond the rail opening 1, when in place, and its upper face is provided with a seat 10 which is substantially of the same width as, but slightly shorter than, neck 8, its under or bottom face being adapted to rest upon the base of the adjacent rail.

In assembling the parts, the two fishplates are arranged reversely to each other, as shown in Fig. 1, upon opposite sides of the rail webs, with their tongues 4 extending forwardly in opposite directions, the rear tongue 5 on each fish-plate being introduced through the opening in the adjacent rail, in position to interlock with the tongue 4 on the other fish-plate. The confronting ends of the rails are then raised slightly and brought together, thus causing the tongues 4 on the fish-plates to ride across the seats 10 until their cut-away portions 7 reach a point directly above said seats, whereupon their neck portions 8 will enter the seats and thus interlock the fish-plates, the rail ends being lowered into place upon the tie 11 at that time. The joint may, in like manner, be readily broken by raising the rail ends and then moving the same away from each other. After the joint has been completed, the fishplates may be rigidly fastened to the tie ends by suitable headed bolts 12 whose angular shanks are driven into the tie through correspondingly-shaped notches 13 formed in the outer edges of the flanges 3.

It will be seen that the height of the body portions 2 of the fish-plates is such that the top faces of said portions are in contact with the under faces of the rail treads, in consequence whereof the fish-plates are additionally held against upward displacement, the inclined faces 6 of the tongues 4 riding along the said tread faces during the formation and breaking, or unlocking, of the joint. Longitudinal displacement of the fish-plates is prevented both by the bolts 12 and also by the projection of the lower portions of the heads 9 of tongues 4 below the bottom faces of the seats 10.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a rail-joint, the combination, with a pair of rails having openings formed through their webs adjacent the abutting ends thereof; of a pair of reversely-arranged fish-plates overlapping said ends and disposed upon opposite sides of said rails against the faces of said Webs, each fish-plate having a member thereof extending through the opening in one of said rails and interlocked With the adjacent portion of the other fish-plate.

2. In a rail-joint, the combination, With a pair of rails having openings formed through their Webs adjacent the abutting ends thereof; of a pair of reversely-arranged fish-plates overlapping said ends and disposed upon opposite sides of said rails against the faces of said Webs, each fish-plate being provided at opposite ends With a pair of integral tongues, one of Which projects through the opening in the adjacent rail and interlocks With the adjacent tongue of the other fish-plate.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination, with a pair of rails having openings formed through their webs adjacent the abutting ends thereof; of a pair of reverselyarranged fish-plates overlapping said ends and disposed upon opposite sides of said rails against the faces of said Webs, each fish-plate being provided at one end with a lateral tongue having a seat formed in its upper face, and at the other end with a longitudinal tongue, the first-named tongue of each fish-plate projecting through the opening in the adjacent rail and having the secondnanied tongue of the other fish-plate interlocked in the seat therein.

4. In a rail-joint, the combination, With a pair of rails having openings formed through their Webs adjacent the abutting ends thereof; of a pair of reversely-arranged fish-plates overlapping said ends and disposed upon opposite sides of said rails against the faces of said Webs, each fish-platebeing provided at one end With a lateral tongue having a seat formed in its upper face and at the other end With a longitudinal tongue comprising a head and a reduced neck, the first-named tongue of each fishplate projecting through the opening in the adjacent rail and having the neck of the second-named tongue of the other fish-plate engaged in the seat therein, the head portions of said second-named tongues projecting below the bottom Walls of said seats to interlock said firstand second-named tongues together.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES T. BOGAR-D. \Vitnesses:

WV. F. ANDnnWs, T. E. VVALDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

